The invention is used to immerse a plurality of workpieces into one of a plurality of workstations and is more particularly related to a work carrier unit for use within an electrodeposition system for simultaneously placing a protective coating on a large number of workpieces.
Our patent application U.S. Ser. No. 551,564 illustrates a system which includes a work carrier unit for immersing a single object such as a car body into the various processing stations of an electrodeposition system. These processing stations may include a prerinse station, a phosphating station, a postrinse station and an electrodeposition station and a heating station. The present invention is more ideally suited to simultaneously applying a protective coating to a large plurality of work pieces, each substantially smaller than the car body mentioned above. It is envisioned that one of the uses of the present invention would be to apply protective coatings to workpieces such as bolts, nails, screws, and to larger workpieces such as brake drums and pulleys, etc.
The present invention permits the mass coating of a large plurality of relatively small workpieces.
It is an object of the present invention to provide means for coating a large plurality of small workpieces.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a single workpiece carrier that may be used within each of the processing stations of an electrodeposition system.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a work carrier unit for transporting large pluralities of workpieces in and through the various work stations of an electrodeposition system.
Accordingly, the present invention comprises an apparatus for immersing a plurality of workpieces into a work processing station comprising a support structure adapted to be raised and lowered in response to command signals. The apparatus further includes a plurality of work carrier units rotationally linked to the support structure and situated thereon so that when the support structure is lowered said units enter the work processing station and the apparatus further includes means for oscillating the work carrier units about a predetermined axis. The invention further includes means for varying the angle of tilt of the workpiece carriers as they are lowered into and removed from any one of the processing stations. A feature of the present invention is the ability to totally treat the workpieces while they remain in the same basket or workpiece carrier from pretreatment to electropainting and through final curing.
Many other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent in view of the description below.